The Royal Ordinance of 1718 April 3 had forbidden captains of bringing Negroes to the French islands of America to permit any association with the inhabitants of the port of disembarkation prior to inspection and certification by sanitation officials that there were no contagious diseases aboard and issuance of a permit to disembark. The law, however, had been frequently ignored, and captains had sold Negroes to the islanders prior to sanitation inspection. The King prohibited such sales and imposed a penalty of 1,000 livres, which the informer of the violation would receive. Moreover, captains guilty of the offense would be declared unfit for command.
